Vacuum duster



R. E. MICHAEL.

VACUUM DUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, 1921.

Patented Oct. 24

IASSQZL Get. 24, 1922.,

rise ST ROBERT E. MICHAEL, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

VACUUM DUSTER.

Application filed December 16, 1921. Serial No. 523,163.

T 0 all whom it may cmwewi Be it known that I, Rocnn'r E. MICHAEL, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in thecounty of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Vacuum Dusters; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary brushes, having for anobject to provide a combined brushing and cleaning device particularlyadvantageous for brushing and cleaning clothing and like articles, thebrushing meansthercof serving to remove and loosen dirt arid dust froma. surface being treated therewith, 'hile suction creating meansoperable in conjunction with the brushing means function to effect theconveying of the loosened dirt or dustfrom the article being cleaned anddepositing it in a container therefor It is also an object of theinvention to provide a novel emotion converting and transmission meansfor operating the brush and suction cleaning means of the device, thesame being manually actuated and capable of driving the active elementsof the invention at a speed to ensure the proper performance of theirrespective functions.

Other objects will be in part obvious. and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readilyunderstood by persons skilled in the art, I have in the accompanyingillustrative drawings and in the detailed following description basedthereon set out one possible embodiment of the same. I

In these drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section through the improveddevice;

Fi 2 is a horizontal section taken on the l1ne 2-2 of Figure 1 lookingin the directipn in which the arrows point;

F gure 3 is a bottom plan view of the brush shield and nozzle;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail in section showing the arrangement ofthe motion converting and transmitting gearing arranged within thedevice; and,

Figure 5 is a'detail perspective view of the rack guide. I

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection withwhich like characters of reference will designate corresponding partsthroughout, the improved brushing and cleaning device may be stated toinclude a housing or casing 1, the upper portion of which is providedwith a cover 2 corresponding in shape and size thereto and adapted to besecured in position in respect to the same through the medium of screws3, or similar fastening devices, the free portions of which are engagedwith the inner faces of the casing side wall as at 4. A diametricallydisposed arm 5 is arranged within the casing 1 and secured at itsopposite ends to adjacent portions thereof and serves to provideaneffectual bearing for a driven shaft 6 arranged concentrically of andpositioned vertically within the casing; the upper end of this shaftcrossing through a bearing disc 7 arranged in the upper portion ofthecasing and engaging a suitable bearing 8 in the cover 2, While thelower portion thereof passes through a bearing located within adiametrically disposed bar 9 formed with the casing 1 downwardly througha point in proxlmity to the constricted lower open end 10 of the saidcasing, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

A handle 11 may be and preferably is secured to one portion of theperipheral surface of the circular casing 1 for an obvious purpose.

As hereinbefore described, the vertical shaft 6 has rota-table bearingwithin the easing 1, a fly wheel 12 being fixedly mounted thereonwhereby to facilitate rotation of the same at its maximum speed.

Fixedly mounted upon the upper portion of the vertical shaft 6 is apinion 13 meshing with a gear 14 mounted upon a bearing bracket 15secured to adjacent portions of the casing wall and having aslip clutch16 arranged concentrically within the same, the gripping members 16 ofwhich are adapted, as will be understood, to establish drivingconnection as between said pinion and the clutch element, clearlyillustrated in the Fig ure 2. Another pinion 17-is fixedly mounted uponthe particular shaft carrying the gear 1 1 which as will be noted, isjournalled in a suitable. bearing 18 at its upper end, this latterpinion 17 meshing with one side of a bifurcated element 19 slidablyengaged in ing wall and adapted to have radial sliding movement withrelation tothe same. Suspended by means of the set screw or like -fas-.

' ment 19, hereinafter more fully described,

being transmitted to the pinion 17 and converted thereby into rotarymotion, from whence it is transmitted through'the medium of. the tripclutch 16 to the upper portion of'the shaft 6. In this connection, it isof course to be understood that by reason of the slip clutch connection16-with the gear 14, rotary motion in but one direction will be impartedto the gear 14 since there will be an intermittent connection as betweenthis gear and the slip clutch 16 driven from the pinion 17 a Acontractile coiled spring 22 is connected at one end to the bifurcatedelement 19, while its opposite-end is secured to the guide track 19 orany other fixed portion of the casing 1, thus affording ample means fornormally retaining the element 19 in its outermost position withrespectto the easing.

As means for imparting reciprocal motion to the bifurcated element 19, areversely curved fan lever 23 is pivoted to the peripheral portion ofthe casing 1 as at 24, the intermediate portion thereof engaging withthe outer end of the bifurcated element 19 through a roller 25 rotatablymounted in said outer end of the latter. By intermittently pressing thefree po tion of the lever 23 inwardly with respect to the casrelationtofthe casing '1 will occur, inward movement of such element beingresistedby ing 1, it will be thus understood that radial movement of thebifurcated element 19 with the coiled spring 22 which as above stated,normally tends to returnthe same to its outermost position with respectto the casing in order that it may be rapidly reciprocated fortrafismitting rotary motion to the pin- .ion 17.

The constricted lower open end 10 of the casing 1 is externally screwthreaded and receives thereupon" a correspondingly screw threaded neck26 of a nozzle 27,'which as shown in the Figure 3, is substantially ovalin shape and serves to'house a plurality of rotatable brushes 28'mounted upon stubshafts having bearings in a bar 29 suitably securedwithin the-nozzle 27 and connected to the vertical shaft '6 by'means ofa flank 6', which flank in turn, is connected with a gear 30 fixedlymounted upon the stub shaft of the intermediate brush 28 and meshes withsimilar gears 31 fixedly mounted upon the stub, shafts of the remainingbrushes 28, that is, the brushes upon either side of the intermediatebrush. From the above, it will be understood that by reason oftheconnection of the rotatable brushes 28 with the vertical-shaft 6,rotary motion will be transmitted thereto from the motion converting andtransmitting means hereinbefore described.

As means for removing the loosened dirt and dust from a surface beingcleanedwith the'device subsequent to its engagement with the rotatablebrushes 28, a fan 32 is fixedly mounted upoirthe intermediate portion ofsaid vertical shaft 6 above the bar 9 and in consequence, with rotationof the blades-of said fan which. are properly pitched, a suction will becreated within the casing v1, and

at the nozzle 27 sufficiently strong to remove such loosened dirt-anddust and to convey the same upwardly into the casing from whence it willbe discharged by way of the operator with one hand with the thumbthereof free to engage with the lever 23 pivoted to the casing 1, thislever being intermittently pressed whereby to effect rapid reciprocationof the bifurcated element 19 which in turn will transmit rotary motionto the pinion 17, thereby effecting transmission of rotary motion instep by-step fashion to the gear 14 from whence it will be transmittedthrough the pinion 17 to the vertically mounted shaft 6. W ithapplicationof rotary motion in the step by step fashion above noted,tothe vertical shaft 6, the same will readily gainmomentifm by reason ofthe arrangement of the fly wheel 12 there- 0 and will effect therotation ofthe brushes 2 8 at a high velocity together with the suctioncreating fan 32, said brushes 28 when engaged with the surface-to becleaned effecting the loosening of dirt and dust therefrom which in'turnwill be drawn or sucked 'upwardly through the constricted open lower Iclaim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a casing having anopen lower end and a nozzle secured thereover, a plurality of rotatablebrushes supported within said nozzle, a vertically disposed shaftmounted in the casing having driving connection with said brushes, a flywheel carried on the shaft, a radially disposed bifurcated reciprocalelement in the casing having one end slidably received in a portion ofthe walls thereof, one side of said element having a rack formedthereon, a pinion engaging said rack and mounted Within the casing, agear mounted in proximity to said pinion, a slip clutch con-- nected tothe pinion and engageable with the gear, a second pinion fixedly mountedupon the upper portion of said vertical' shaft and meshing with theaforesaid gear, manually operable means arranged upon and exteriorly ofthe casing engageable with theouter end of said bifurcated element forimparting sliding movement to the same, spring means engaging the casingand a portion of said element for retaining the same in its normalposition, -a fan fixedly mounted upon the vertical shaft and a containerdetachably connected to said casing adJacent an outlet opening thereincommunicating with the shaft, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A device of the character described comprising a casing having a'constricted open lower end, a nozzle secured to said open lower end, aplurality of inter-connected rotatable brushes supported within saidnozzle, a vertically disposed shaft mounted in the casing and connectedto one of said rotatable brushes, a 15 wheel carried on said shaft, aradially disposed reciprocal bifurcated element extending into saidcasing by way of an opening in the side wall thereof,-one side of thebifurcated element havinga rack formed thereon, a pinion engaging saidrack and mounted within the casing, a gear rotatably mounted inproximity to said pinion, a slip clutch connected to the pinion andengageable with said gear, a second pinion fixedly mounted upon theupper portion of said vertical shaft and meshing with the aforesaidgear, a lever pivoted at one end to the peripheral portion of the casingand adapted to have engagement intermediate its ends -with the outer endof said bifurcated element, a fan fixedly mounted upon the ver-' ticalshaft and a container detachably connected to said casing adjacent anoutlet opening therein and communicating with said fan as and for thepurpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y ROBERT E. MICHAEL.

